Dear Ally, How Do You Write a Book

by Ally Carter

  MARISSA MEYER is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles, Heartless, and Renegades, as well as the graphic novels Wires and Nerve and Wires and Nerve, Volume 2: Gone Rogue. She lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and twin daughters. Find out more at marissameyer.com.

  JULIE MURPHY lives in North Texas with her husband (who loves her), her dog (who adores her), and her cat (who tolerates her). After several wonderful years in the library world, Julie now writes full-time. When she’s not writing or reliving her reference desk glory days, she can be found watching made-for-TV movies, hunting for the perfect slice of cheese pizza, and planning her next great travel adventure. She is the author of Side Effects May Vary, Ramona Blue, and Dumplin’, which is soon to be a major motion picture. Puddin’, the companion to Dumplin’, is her latest release. You can visit Julie at juliemurphywrites.com.

  KRISTIN NELSON is owner and founding literary agent of Nelson Literary Agency, LLC. She has represented Ally Carter since 2003 and still has on file the infamous email between her and Ally that launched the internationally bestselling Gallagher Girls Series. Find out more about Kristin and her agency at nelsonagency.com

  DANIEL JOSÉ OLDER is the award-winning author of both young adult and adult books. His latest books are Star Wars: Last Shot and the historical fantasy Dactyl Hill Squad, his first middle grade book. His New York Times bestselling young adult novel Shadowshaper was a New York Times Best Book of the Year, and its sequel, Shadowhouse Fall, was also highly acclaimed. His other books include the Bone Street Rumba novels, including Midnight Taxi Tango and Half-Resurrection Blues. Winner of the International Latino Book Award, he has been nominated for the Kirkus Prize, the Locus and World Fantasy Award, and the Andre Norton Award. Shadowshaper has been optioned by Tony-winning actress Anika Noni Rose. You can find his thoughts on writing, read dispatches from his decade long career as an NYC paramedic, and hear his music at danieljoseolder.net, on YouTube, and at @djolder on Twitter.

  STEPHANIE PERKINS is the New York Times and international bestselling author and anthology editor of several books for teens including Anna and the French Kiss, My True Love Gave to Me, and There’s Someone Inside Your House. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina with her husband. Visit her online at stephanieperkins.com.

  CARRIE RYAN is the New York Times bestselling author of the Forest of Hands and Teeth series, Daughter of Deep Silence, and Infinity Ring: Divide and Conquer, as well as the editor of Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction. She’s written the Map to Everywhere series, a four-book middle grade series co-written with her husband, John Parke Davis, and is working on a new young adult novel. Her books have sold in over twenty-two territories and her first book is in development as a major motion picture. A former litigator, Carrie now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and various pets. You can find her online at CarrieRyan.com or on Twitter at @CarrieRyan.

  ELIOT SCHREFER is a New York Times bestselling author and has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award. In naming him an Editor’s Choice, the New York Times has called his work “dazzling and big-hearted.” He is also the author of two novels for adults and four other novels for children and young adults. His books have been named to the NPR Best of the Year list, the ALA best fiction list for young adults, and the Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best. His work has also been selected to the Amelia Bloomer List, recognizing the best feminist books for young readers, and he has been a finalist for the Walden Award and won the Green Earth Book Award and Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award. He lives in New York City, is on the faculty of the Hamline and Fairleigh Dickinson MFAs in Creative Writing, and is the children’s book reviewer for USA Today.

  MAGGIE STIEFVATER is a writer, artist, and musician, and the New York Times bestselling author of the Shiver trilogy, The Scorpio Races, The Raven Cycle series, and All the Crooked Saints. Stiefvater lives in Virginia with her husband and their two children. You can visit her online at maggiestiefvater.com and follow her on Twitter @mstiefvater. For more information, please visit: mediaroom.scholastic.com/maggiestiefvater.

  KIERSTEN WHITE is the New York Times bestselling author of many books for teens and young readers, including And I Darken, Now I Rise, Bright We Burn, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, and the Paranormalcy trilogy. She lives with her family near the ocean in San Diego, where she perpetually lurks in the shadows. Visit Kiersten online at kierstenwhite.com and follow @kierstenwhite on Twitter.

  ACT: a section of a story where all the action seems to be moving in a particular direction. Then a PLOT POINT will happen—it will hook into the story and spin it around in a new direction—and a new act will begin.

  ADVANCE READER’S COPY (ARC): ARCs are paperback versions of a book that are printed up before the book is actually published. They are promotional tools given to librarians, booksellers, the media, and other people who can help build buzz about the book before its publication. (It can also be referred to as a bound galley.)

  AGENT, aka literary agent (aka your best friend): Generally, agents serve as a go-between for authors and publishers. They help sell books, negotiate contracts, and champion an author’s career. Ethical agents always—and only—work on commission. If an “agent” ever charges you money of any kind (processing fees, reading fees, flat fees for shopping a book, etc.), then you need to run in the opposite direction because you’re being scammed.

  AUTHORIAL VOICE: This might best be described as an author’s fingerprint. It’s the combination of the words an author uses, the way he or she uses them, and the type of stories they tend to tell. Basically, if you read a book that didn’t have a cover and could guess who the author was anyway? Then that author has a strong authorial voice.

  BACKSTORY: Any of the events that happen to a character (or world) before a book begins.

  CANON: The official version of a story, as written or produced by the author or owner(s) of the source material.

  CLICHÉ: A phrase so commonly seen or used that it’s considered lazy or unoriginal.

  CLIFFHANGER: When a story ends with the characters in immediate danger (as if they are hanging off a cliff).

  COMPANION NOVEL: A novel with some overlapping characters and worlds but with a plot that totally stands alone.

  CONFLICT: Anything or anyone that might stand between a character and their goal. Author Susan Elizabeth Phillips once described conflict as this: “If your hero is a fire fighter, your heroine had better be an arsonist.”

  COPY EDITOR: Unlike an “acquiring editor,” who might buy a book for a publishing house and work with the author to develop the characters and the story, copy editors work to proofread and perfect manuscripts. The copy editor is one of the last people who will work on a book before it’s published.

  COPYEDITING: This is where you go through your manuscript, checking for typos, grammatical errors, and inconsistencies. For example, if your heroine has blue eyes on page 163 and brown eyes on page 235, this is where you’re probably going to catch it.

  CRITIQUE PARTNER OR GROUP: People (often groups of writers) who exchange manuscripts and give suggestions and advice to each other. Sometimes they’re friends from school or people who meet online or at conferences, but they always serve as a support system and sounding board for each other. They are also totally and completely, optional.

  DAY JOB: A job or profession that a writer does in addition to writing. Pretty much every author has a day job when they’re starting out, and the vast majority will have one throughout their entire writing career.

  DRAFT: A version of a book that exists during the writing process. A writer will often write many drafts before the book is finished.

  EDITING: The process of revising a book, with either large or small changes.

  EDITOR: A person employed by a publishing company to acquire new books and work with authors to make those books as great as possible. An editor is often an author’s contact person and main advocate within th
e publishing house. Also sometimes referred to as an “acquiring editor.”

  EPILOGUE: Material at the end of some books, after the final chapter of the story, often showing the characters in the future and indicating how their lives turned out.

  EPISODIC SERIES: A type of series where each story stands on its own and where the books can be read in pretty much any order—like Goosebumps or Nancy Drew.

  FIRST PERSON POV: A point of view where the story is told through the eyes of one character, in that character’s own voice. It will use pronouns like I/we instead of he/she/they.

  FREELANCE EDITOR: An independent editor an author can hire to work on their books. Some authors might hire a freelance editor if they want to self-publish their work. Other authors might choose to work with a freelance editor to make their work as strong as possible before publishing with a traditional publisher (though that is rare and certainly not required).

  GAME CHANGER: An event, usually at the end of a book, that alters the world or the characters in a way that means future books in the same series will be significantly different from the book(s) that came before.

  GENRE: A category of books where all the stories have similar elements and styles. Science fiction, fantasy, thriller, romance, and horror are all examples of genres.

  HEAD HOPPING: When an author jumps from one character’s point of view into another character’s point of view within the same chapter or section.

  HIGH CONCEPT: Stories where the conflict or premise is easily described in just a sentence or two. “A Secret Service agent’s daughter must save the president’s son when he’s kidnapped in Alaska” would be an example of a high-concept story (Not If I Save You First).

  INFO DUMP: When an author piles a whole lot of information on the reader all at once. This is especially common early in books and when introducing characters, and it’s something that, as a rule, should be avoided.

  NARRATIVE VOICE: The style, flow, cadence, tone, word choice, etc., of a particular story. If you can see a paragraph from the middle of a book and guess which book it is, then that’s a book that has a strong narrative voice.

  NARRATOR: The person—or voice—telling the story.

  NANOWRIMO: National Novel Writing Month, an annual program where people accept the challenge of writing a 50,000-word novel during the month of November.

  PACING: The rate at which a story progresses.

  PAST TENSE: When a story is told as if it has already happened and the narrator is looking back on events.

  PANTSER: A writer who doesn’t necessarily know what will happen in their book as they write it, and is said to “write by the seat of their pants.”

  PLAGIARISM: When you copy someone else’s words and use them without giving credit to the original source or author. It’s actually a really complex subject, and you can visit plagiarism.org for more information.

  PLOT: What happens in a book—the actions the characters take to achieve their goals. A plot is often closely related to the premise, but they’re actually two different things.

  PLOT POINT: Any part of a story where the story line turns in another direction. It could be something big (like getting accepted to magic school or learning you’re a princess). Or it could be a smaller setback or change in your character’s journey (like having your car die during a road trip and having to take the bus. Then having the bus break down. Then having a blizzard hit and … etc., etc.). Plot points generally mean starting a new ACT.

  PLOTTER: A writer who figures out the general plot of their book before they begin to write.

  POINT OF VIEW (POV): The perspective from which the story is being told.

  PREMISE: The general idea, concept, or “setup” of a story. This is often confused with the plot, but actually they’re two different (yet semi-related) things. For example, the premise of Harry Potter is “boy goes to magic school,” but once you get to magic school a million different things could happen—you could have a million different plots.

  PRESENT TENSE: When a story is told as if it is happening right now. It will use present tense verbs. (Like I run down the street instead of I ran down the street.)

  PROLOGUE: A (totally optional) section that an author can insert before chapter 1, often showing backstory that is essential to understanding the world or the characters.

  PROCESS: The way an author works, including the number and type of drafts they might do, the tools they might use, how much planning they do before they start, and how long it takes. Processes will vary widely from author to author and book to book, and an individual’s process will likely change or evolve over time.

  PROSE: Any writing that uses an ordinary rhythm or flow and doesn’t have the metrical structure of “verse” (or rhyming or metered poems). In the book world, when people talk about the prose of a novel, they’re usually talking about the words themselves and not the characters, plot, world building, or other parts of the novel.

  PUBLIC DOMAIN: Material to which a copyright doesn’t apply, so anyone can take those characters or world or plot and use them as their own. For example, Sherlock Holmes is now in the public domain, so you can have dozens of Sherlock Holmes movies, TV shows, and books being made at the same time.

  QUERY: The act of reaching out to a literary agent or editor in hopes that they might represent or buy your book.

  QUERY LETTER: The letter you might send to a literary agent, describing you and your book in the hopes that the agent might want to represent you.

  SCENE: A segment of a story usually taking place in a specific place and time that has a beginning and an end.

  SECOND PERSON POV: This is the least-used point of view. The entire story is written as if the reader is the main character. So instead of saying I was late for school today (as in first person), a story written in second person would say You were late for school today.

  SENSITIVITY READER: Someone an author can hire to read and critique a manuscript to help the author appropriately represent people of other ethnicities, races, backgrounds, abilities, or sexual orientations. You should never expect a sensitivity reader to work for free.

  SERIAL SERIES: A series that tells one story over many books. You can always tell if a series is “serial” if you start with book three and are super confused.

  SHOW, DON’T TELL: I could tell you what “show, don’t tell” means, but I’m going to show you instead. See, instead of writing Joe had never been angrier (where we have to take your word for it that Joe was angry), write Joe slammed the door and yelled at the top of his lungs (where we see Joe acting like an angry person and draw our own conclusions).

  SLUSH PILE: The (sometimes literal) pile of unsolicited manuscripts and query letters that accumulate at publishers and literary agencies. (Note: Most publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts and never read anything from the slush pile. Some agents, however, do.)

  THIRD PERSON LIMITED POV: A point of view where the story is told through the eyes of one character, but without using that character’s direct voice. It will use pronouns like he/they instead of I/we.

  THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT POV: A point of view where the story is told by an unknown/unseen narrator who knows all and sees all. It will use pronouns like he/they instead of I/we.

  TROPE: A story element or type that is incredibly common—especially within a particular genre. Like when fantasy novels are about a “chosen one” or a romance is about “friends to lovers.” Avid readers will often have favorite tropes that they read over and over and over.

  UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPT: Any manuscript that is sent to a publisher or editor (even though they didn’t ask for it).

  VERSE: Novels written in verse are novels that are, essentially, book-length poems. They have carefully chosen words with a specific rhythm or flow, and they will not read or look like novels written in prose.

  WORLD BUILDING: The process of creating the social, political, and physical environment in which your characters live. It’s generally thought of as something you
do for genres like science fiction and fantasy, but most contemporary fiction has world building, too.

  This book wouldn’t have been possible without the help of so many wonderful people.

  First, my agent, Kristin Nelson, who, in addition to contributing her expertise, didn’t tell me I was crazy when I told her what I had in mind for this project. Next, I could never have done this without the hard work and amazing guidance of David Levithan, who saw the need for this book and helped me bring it to life, and Maya Marlette, who was our sounding board and co-conspirator every step of the way.

  I’m incredibly grateful to everyone at Scholastic for championing my work for years now and taking on the challenge of making and marketing this book.

  And, finally, I have to thank the tremendously talented authors and editors who shared their experience and expertise on these pages. This truly would not have been possible without each of them.

  ALLY CARTER is the author of three New York Times bestselling series for young adults: Gallagher Girls, Heist Society, and Embassy Row. Her most recent bestseller is her first stand-alone novel, Not If I Save You First. She lives in Oklahoma and online at allycarter.com.

  Copyright © 2019 by Ally Carter

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